Iran

Iranian authorities said they approved 270 foreign investment projects in the first half of the Iranian year (21 March to 22 September 2026). The official report does not say how much of this money has actually arrived or where it comes from. Approval numbers say little about real inflows during wartime and widening sanctions, so entrants should not read them as a sign of investor confidence.

Trend News Agency · 2026-09-30

In June, reports said a US-Iran framework included a proposed $300 billion investment fund. By early October Iranian officials were calling talks with the US 'meaningless', and the US was tightening sanctions rather than easing them. Investment that depends on a negotiated deal does not look realistic before the next briefing.

Iran International · 2026-10-04

Under 'Operation Economic Outcast' on 24 August, the US Treasury's sanctions office (OFAC) extended secondary sanctions to five more Iranian sectors: aviation, digital assets, gold, shipping and technology. It also suspended five general licences indefinitely and allowed a short period to wind down existing deals. Non-US companies dealing with these sectors can now be designated, so even trade that is legal at home carries US sanctions risk.

International Trade Insights (Sheppard Mullin) · 2026-08-24

Treasury Secretary Bessent said Washington is pressing other governments to help isolate Iran financially. He would not say which trading partners could face penalties or when. The State Department followed with further designations through early September, including on 8 September against Iran's aviation sector. Firms in third countries that trade with Iran face penalties that could be announced without warning.

The Washington Post; US Department of State · 2026-09-10

On 9 September the IAEA Board of Governors voted to report Iran to the UN Security Council for failing to meet its nuclear safeguards obligations. The board had not passed such a resolution in 20 years. The referral makes broader multilateral restrictions more likely and makes sanctions relief in the near term less likely.

Al Jazeera · 2026-09-09

The Statistical Center of Iran reported that prices in September were 89.8% higher than a year earlier, up from 89% in August, with monthly inflation at 4.2% and the 12-month average up to 73.6%. Costs in rials are rising by several percent a month, so local-currency contracts, wage agreements and price lists lose value within weeks.

IranWire · 2026-10-01

Central Bank Governor Abdolnaser Hemmati said the year-on-year inflation rate eased to 83.8% in September from 84.4% in August. This is a lower number than the statistics office reports. Because the two official sources disagree, entrants should not plan around a single official figure and should treat any claimed easing with caution.

Iran International (citing Tasnim) · 2026-09-26

On the open market the rial fell to another record low, with the euro above 3.06 million rials. Authorities began letting five banks sell up to $10,000 per adult at 2.57 million rials per dollar. The gap between the managed rate and the market rate, plus emergency rationing of foreign currency, means a foreign firm cannot count on converting or sending profits home at a predictable rate.

Iran International · 2026-10-04

Reports in early October said the White House had asked the Pentagon for options to strike Iran, possibly before the 3 November US midterm elections, and that Central Command had been told to prepare for a resumption of major combat. Brent crude rose above $104. No US strike on Iranian soil had been reported for about a month, but the risk of the war restarting is high this quarter.

GlobalSecurity.org (summarising The Atlantic, Axios, Reuters) · 2026-10-08

After a run of tanker attacks, traffic through the Strait of Hormuz fell to its lowest level in more than two months. The UK maritime security agency UKMTO counted nine attacks on tankers in October alone. The US is also trying to stop Iran's oil exports with a naval blockade. Shipping, insurance and logistics for trade with Iran and the Gulf are severely disrupted.

GlobalSecurity.org (citing Reuters, UKMTO); Iran International · 2026-10-08

Senior Iranian officials told Reuters that Tehran is considering expanding its targets to countries outside the Middle East if the US resumes strikes. This raises the security risk for assets and staff tied to the US and its partners well beyond Iran's borders.

Critical Threats (citing Reuters) · 2026-10-01